A Relevant Cause

Willard, the company, and Willard Marketing Monthly have searched diligently for a relevant cause with which to identify the company and the magazine. We have one in our back pocket, and we like it.

It has to do with an area of Corporate Social Responsibility that is important to every Ukrainian who would like to have a free and unfettered press. It has to do with the sad practice of commercial payment for news stories. 

However, we take a somewhat different position. From the ad on page 15 in this publication, you will see that we believe the burden is not on the press but on the companies – including multinationals – that buy the press.

We know of corporations in virtually ever segment – otherwise good corporate citizens – who buy stories in Ukrainian press rather than trust what I call the basic theory of news – a good story that is news will rise to the top of the stack and get printed.

Hence, we revive the old comic book character Pogo who said: “We have met the enemy and it is us.” And, in the same ad, list six reasons why it is a bad idea to purchase press.

It would be hypocritical for us as a company not to acknowledge from the outset that in the 15-year history of Willard that, on occasion, we might have been guilty of such transgressions at the behest of a client. I have always had, as they say, plausible denial with a blanket rule of no purchased press. However, that’s not good enough.

In the past, we have donated medical equipment to a hospital for older Ukrainians from revenue garnered from sold paintings. It wasn’t a fortune.

We have supported a short-story contest and hosted a community website to promote public relations standards. I always like to think our seven-year experience publishing The Ukrainian Observer was a social cause. There were certainly no monetary benefits, and the community got a pretty good English language magazine that took on Ukrainian topics from culture, to history to current political debate.

However, having first started working with newspapers at age 19 and having spent a dozen years as a reporter and editor, this issue of attempting to stem paid stories is as close to my heart as my skin. 

We will be launching a Facebook page and perhaps a web page on this topic. We will be soliciting supporters – not money. If anyone would like to talk to me directly about this, my telephone is (+380) 50 355 9040.

We believe it is a relevant cause for our company and our magazine.

Michael Willard